Driving mechanism for pumps.



T. F. MULLIGAN.

' DRIVING MECHANISM FOR PUMPS.

nrmcumn FILED SEPT. 30, 1910.

1,102,537, Patented July 7, 191.4.

WIIIIIIIIIIIAVIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIA'IIIII-IIIMIIIIIIIIIII THE NORRIS PETERS co., WASHINGTON, o. c

srnrns PATENT oriuon.

THOMAS F. MULLIGAN, OF FORT WAYNE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR, T0 S. F. BO'W'SER & COMPANY, INCORPORATED, OF FORT WAYNE, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA.

DRIVING MECHANISM FOR PUMPS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS F. MULLIGAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fort VYayne, in the county of Allen and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Driving Mechanism forv Pumps, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

The invention relates to driving mechanism for pumps, and the primary object of the invention is to provide improved driving mechanism for operating pumps of the reciprocating piston type which shall be of a neater and more compact construction than driving mechanisms for pumps of this class heretofore used and which shall as a conse quence occupy less space in shipping and when in use and shall present a more satisfactory and sightly appearance, besides being less liable to breakage in operation and in handling, as in shipping.

Other objects of the invention will appear in the following specification, which is descriptive of the preferred embodiment of the invention showing the same adapted to a pump of the self-measuring type adapted to be power driven and which exemplification of the invention is also shown in the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification and finally set forth more specifically in the appended claims.

In the said drawings,Figurelis a sectional view through the upper portion of a power driven pump of the self-measuring type to which the invention is applied, the pump barrel and other unimportant details of the pump being broken away. Figs. 2 and 3 are enlarged detail views of a flexible driving means which is directly connected to the piston rod for imparting reciprocatory movement thereto.

As above stated the invention being ap plied to a self-measuring pump of the power driven type, the upper portion of the main frame of the pump is shown as in the form of a suitable support indicated by the reference character 10. Connected with the support 10 is the pump barrel 11 either integral therewith or preferably, as shown, being detachably secured to the bottom portion thereof and adapted to receive on the interior thereof the usual reciprocating piston rod 12 carrying a piston of any suitable and desired construction, not here shown, as the same forms no part of the present invention.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 30, 1910.

Patented July *7, 191 1.

Serial No. 584,649.

It may also be remarked that the pump may be of either the single acting or double acting types, as the invention is equally applicable to either type of pump. The pump, however, illustrated in Fig. 1 is of a single acting type, the liquid being discharged fromthe pump barrel 11 only on the upstroke of the piston into the closed chamber 18 and thence through the discharge pipe 14. Communicating with the closed chamber 13 through passage 15 is a closed compression chamber 16. The pump is operated by a rocking member indicated by the reference character 17 pivoted on the support 10 at 18. The rocking member 17 is provided with a curved surface at its forward extremity as indicated at 17% the same being preferably formed concentric with the pivot 18. Heretofore in pumps of this character it has beenthe common practice to provide the pivoted rocking member 17 along its curved concentric portions 17* with gear teeth adapted to mesh with a rack bar connected with and driving the piston rod of the pump. Such construction has necessitated prolonging the support or casing 10 upwardly in an unsightly manner, besides being expensive, in order that the rack bar may not be exposed; or perhaps a more common practice has been to provide the casing or support 10 with an opening and allowing such rack bar for driving the piston rod to project above the top of the support. Thisgear and rack bar construction is also objectionable particularly in power pumps on account of the noise attending the operation of the rack and gear, and

it is further objectionable because the rack and gear construction is very difficult to make without sufficient looseness between the rack and the gear to permit the variations which are found to cause inaccuracy particularly in self-measuring pumps, which necessarily must conform to certain standards with regard to accuracy of measurement of liquids measured thereby.

The piston rod 12 is driven by the rocking member 17 through a suitable flexible connection, the details of construction of which are shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and it consists of a plurality of relatively short metallic blocks, as indicated by the reference character 20, secured together by suitable pivot pins 21. The pivot pins 21 are preferably riveted as shown at their extremities, and interposed between the rivet heads thereon and the members 20 are suitable 20 lie in the same plane.

metallic disks or washers 22. This flexible driving member may be of any suitable or desired length and is connected at its lower extremity in any desired manner to the upper end of the piston rod 12, the preferred manner of making such connection being shown in detail in Fig. 2 in which the upper end of the piston rod is shown threaded into block 28, the upper extremity of which 1s provided with a plurality of kerfs or slots into which the lowermost pivoted members 20 of the flexible driving member enter and are secured therein by the pin 24:. The flexible driving member is secured to the pivoted rocking member 17 at its upper extremity by a block 25, similar to block 23, by the pin 26, the block 25 being secured to the pivoted rocking member 17 at the upper extremity of the curved concentric surface 17 by suitable screw-threaded bolts 27, as shown, or by other suitable means.

In measuring pumps it'is desirable and necessary that the piston and the piston rod shall be positively actuated by the pump operating means in both directions .of its reciprocatory movement in order to secure accuracy in the pumping and measurlng 1nstrumentalities. In order that the flexible connecting means between the piston rod and the rockingmember' 17 may be positive in its action in driving the piston rod on both its up and down strokes, the members 20 which are pivoted together to form the flexible connection are preferably of such form and so arranged as illustratedthat the flexible member may conform to the curved concentric surface 1'? of the pivoted rocking member 17, that is to say, the flexible member may buckle in one direction only but is rigid or non-flexible and so not capable of flexing or buckling in the opposite direction because the adjacent extremities 20 of blocks 20 as indicated in Fig. 3 will contact with each other when the blocks It will be seen that by this construction the flexible member will on the up stroke of the piston conform to the curved concentric portion 17 of the pivoted rocking member 17 but on the down stroke will be prevented from buckling toward the rocking member after the curved concentric surface 17 draws away from it. To prevent buckling in the opposite direction when the flexible connecting member is under stress a suitable guide or bearing surface for the flexible connection is provided, the same ext-ending from a point approximately at the lower extremity of the'fiexible connection in its lowermost position to the upper extremity thereof in its uppermost position when actuated to draw the piston rod upwardly on the upward stroke of the pivoted rocking member 17. This guide is carried by the support 10 and may be formed integrally therewith as illustrated'v in Fig. 1. In order to be effective as a guide for the flexible connection throughout the limits of its movement, the upper portion thereof is curved as indicated at 28, and the lower portion as indicated at 29 lies in a plane at the side of and parallel with the plane of reciprocation of the piston rod. By this construction it will be seen that when the rocking member 17 is oscillated, the piston rod 12 will be positively driven through this flexible connection 1n both directlons. The construction of the flexible connection preventing buckling toward the rocking member on the down stroke and the guide 28, 29, effectively preventing any buckling away from the rocking member, while on the upstroke of the piston the flexible connection willexert a direct pull on the piston rod. It will be apparent that the rocking member. 17 for driving the piston rOd' through this flexible connection may be actuated in any desired manner, either byhand or power but in the present embodiment of the invention means for driving this member by power is-shown and comprises a suitable pulley 30 on main drive shaft 31 which carries pinion 32 in mesh with large gear 33 jou'rnaled on the support 10 and carrying an eccentric drivmg pin 34L and bearing block 35 which is adapted to reciprocate in slot 17 in rocking member 17.

In order that the invention might be fully understood the details of the preferred em bodiment thereof have been specifically described but it is not desired to be limited to the exact details of construction "for it will be apparent that the invention may be vmodified and adapted in various ways to both hand and power. operated pumpingmechanisms without departing from the purpose and spirit of this invention.

I claim:

1. The combination in a pump, of a reclprocatmg piston rod, a rocking member. for actuating the piston rod provided with a curved bearing surface, a connecting means secured at one extremity to the rockmg member and at the other extremity to the piston rod, and cooperating with the curved bearing surface of the rocking memher, said means comprise a plurality of pivotally connected links or plates provided with adjacent bearing surfaces whereby the said connecting member may be flexed out of the plane of the piston rod in one direct1on only to conform to the curved bearing surface of the rocking member,.,and is incapable of being flexed int-he oppositeidirection out of the plane of the piston rod whereby'both thrust and pull may be imparted to the piston rod fromt-he rocking member. a

2-. The combination in a pump of a reciprocating piston rod, a rocking member for actuating the piston rod being provided with a curved bearing portion, a connection between thepiston rod and the curved bearing portion of the rocking member, said connection comprising a plurality of pivotally connected plates or links, the ends of which are provided with adjacent contacting portions whereby the said connection may be flexed to conform to the curved bearing portion of the rocking member, but is substantially nonflexible in all other directions, being positively connected at one end with the rocking member, and at the other end to the piston rod, a guide to prevent buckling due to a thrust upon the connection between the periphery of the rocking member and the piston rod, and means for actuating the rocking member.

3. The combination in a pump, of a frame, a reciprocating piston rod, a rocking member for actuating the piston rod being provided with a curved bearing portion, a connection between the piston rod and the rocking member engaging the said curved concentric portion, said connection comprising a plurality of pivotally connected plates or links, the ends of which are provided with adjacent contacting portions whereby the said connection may be flexed to conform to the curved bearing portion of the rocking member, but is substantially nonflexible in all other directions, a stationary guide supported by the frame and being adapted to prevent the buckling of the said connection between the said curved contacting portion of the rocking member and the piston rod, when a thrust is imparted to the piston rod from the rocking member through the connection.

l. The combination in a pump, of a piston rod, a rocking member for actuating the piston rod provided with a convex bearing portion, a flexible connection between the rocking member and the piston rod, said flexible connection cotiperating for a portion of said length with the curved bearing portion of the rocking member and being adapted for flexing in one plane only to conform to the convexed portion of the rocking member and being rigid against flexing in all other planes, and a stationary guide to prevent buckling of the said flexible connection between its connection on the rocking member and its connection with the piston rod when a thrust or down stroke is imparted by the rocking member through the connection to the piston rod.

5.. The combination in a pump, of a reciprocating pistonrod, a rocking member for actuating the piston rod provided with a curved bearing surface, a connecting means secured at one extremity to the rocking member, and at theother extremity to the piston rod and cooperating with the curved bearing surface of the rocking member, said connecting means comprising a plurality of pivotally connected links and plates each provided with adjacent abutting surfaces whereby the said connecting member may be flexed out of the plane of the piston rod in one direction only to conform to the curved bearing surface of the rocking member and is incapable of being flexed in the opposite direction out of the plane of the piston rod whereby both thrust and pull may be imparted to the piston rod from the rocking member, and a stationary guide to prevent buckling of the flexible member upon a thrust being imparted to the same by the curved rocking member, said stationary guide comprising a guide member provided with a substantially plane surface for engaging the connecting member to prevent buckling of the same between the periphery of the rocking member and the piston rod, and a portion provided with a curved surface approximately parallel and concentric with the path of travel of the curved bearing surface of the rocking member to prevent buckling of that portion of the connecting member in contact with the rocking member.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, on this 20th day of September A. D. 1910.

THOMAS F. MULLIGAN.

Witnesses:

HARRY J. BRADLEY, FRANK P. ELLIOTT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

